Controversies in professional sumo
[9] One wrestler charged with match-fixing, Sōkokurai, strenuously denied any involvement and won a court case in early 2013 deeming his dismissal groundless.
[10] On July 4, 2010, the Japan Sumo Association announced its decision to dismiss the ōzeki Kotomitsuki and the stablemaster Ōtake, former Takatōriki, for betting on baseball games in a gambling ring run by the yakuza.
[13] The betting scandal resulted in public broadcaster NHK opting not to air live sumo matches during the tournament, instead showing a daily highlight package.
[14] Sumo Association chairman Hanaregoma declared in August 2010 that "violent groups or antisocial forces" were being banned from accessing tournament venues, training stables and other facilities.
[15][16] Three months before Hanaregoma's announcement, Japan's largest yakuza group, Yamaguchi-gumi, bought fifty prized seats during a tournament so that gangsters were prominently visible during the national broadcast of the match.
[18] During the January 2022 basho Japanese media reported that the Sumo Association's compliance committee, after holding hearings, concluded that Hidenoumi and Shiden participated in illegal gambling.
[22] It has been well-known and accepted for many years that sumo stables engage in the systematic hazing and physical punishment of young disciples in order to "toughen them up".
The stablemaster and three other wrestlers who were involved were arrested in February 2008, after which Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda demanded the JSA take steps to ensure such an incident never happens again.
[25] Violent affairs also came to light in 2017, when Sports Nippon reported that yokozuna Harumafuji had assaulted another wrestler (Takanoiwa) during a regional sumo tour in Tottori.
Yanagihara claimed that his human rights were violated and that, during the COVID-19 pandemic when the Sumo Association instituted health protocols, Sadogatake denied his request to sit out of the January 2021 tournament over fears of contracting the virus following cardiac surgery.
After an investigation, it was revealed that the administrative affairs chief and the head of the office in charge of accounting were responsible for numerous irregularities dating back to 2017 concerning the payment of overtime pay for an estimated amount of 100 million yen (~$667,870/€637,712).
Having initially sought to resolve the problem internally in August, the Association received twelve formal complaints from staff who were dissatisfied with the way the matter was being handled.
At the same time, it was also reported that the same two managers had unilaterally reduced the salaries of certain employees, restricted access to the computer server and asked intrusive questions to women during recruitment interviews about their pregnancy and childbirth plans.
Many develop type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure, and they are prone to heart attacks due to the enormous amount of body mass and fat that they accumulate.
In April 2018, during a non-tournament sumo event in Kyoto Prefecture, two women rushed to the aid of the mayor of Maizuru when he collapsed in the middle of the dohyō.
